Hot take: The obsession with 5/8 inch board for ceilings is overkill on most jobs

I keep seeing guys spec it for every single ceiling, even on a simple 12 foot span in a ranch house. I've been hanging 1/2 inch on ceilings like that for years, and I've never had a single callback for sagging or cracking. What's the real benefit that makes the extra cost and weight worth it?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_claire7d ago

Wait, actually 5/8 is a fire rating thing, not sound. Code requires it for the ceiling if there's living space above, like a second floor or an attic apartment. Half inch doesn't meet the time rating. So on that ranch, if the attic is just storage, you're fine. But if it's a finished space above, you gotta use 5/8.

the_claire7d ago

You mentioned never having a call back for sagging with half inch, and that's totally fair. But I wonder if part of the push for 5/8 is about sound between floors, not just sag. In a lot of newer houses, the walls feel paper thin and people want that extra little bit of quiet. It might be overkill on a ranch, but I see the habit spilling over from jobs where it actually mattered.

finley_gonzalez497d ago

Oh man, I totally mixed up fire and sound! My bad, thanks for setting me straight. Guess my brain just defaults to "thicker is quieter" sometimes.